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Monday, May 4, 2015

Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) – The
bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Congo were received in
audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of their “ad
Limina” visit. The Holy Father handed them a written discourse in
which he emphasises the vitality of the Catholic Church in this
country, which has led to the creation of three new dioceses, and the
work of pastors in the work of evangelisation, as well as the
Church's contribution in the education and healthcare sectors and her
role in national reconciliation following the grave crisis of the
1990s.

Francis praises the work of the
Episcopal Conference with regard to the mission of the laity in the
Church and society, and mentioned the importance of forming and
accompanying laypeople to offer Christian witness in socio-political
sectors, which constitute a specific sector for the apostolate.
“Family pastoral ministry is an integral part of this
accompaniment. The reluctance of the faithful to embark on Christian
marriage reveals the need for profound evangelisation, which involves
not only the inculturation of faith, but also the evangelisation of
local traditions and culture”.

In these sectors, as in many others,
priests are the bishops' first collaborators and as a result, their
living conditions and sanctification must be central to their
concerns. “The immense pastoral needs of the local Church require
rigorous discernment, so that the People of God are able to count on
zealous pastors who edify the faithful through their testimony of
life, especially in relation to celibacy and the spirit of
evangelical poverty”. The Pope also remarks that in some dioceses
there are great difficulties due to the lack of available financial
and material resources.

“I am aware of the magnitude of the
problems and the worries related to this situation in the heart of a
pastor. Therefore, I encourage you to resolutely engage your dioceses
in embarking on the path of autonomy, a gradual takeover of control
and solidarity between the particular Churches in your country,
following a tradition that dates back to the first Christian
communities. In this respect, you must be careful to ensure that
economic aid to your particular Churches in support of your specific
mission does not limit your freedom as pastors or obstruct the
freedom of the Church, which must have a free hand to proclaim the
Gospel in a credible way. … With regard to mutual aid and
solidarity between local Churches, this must also be reflected in the
promotion of the missionary spirit first within Africa”, affirmed
Francis, quoting Paul VI in his 1969 discourse in Kampala: “By now,
you Africans are missionaries to yourselves”.

In-depth evangelisation is another
great challenge for the bishops, and one which requires “special
attention to the concrete conditions of life for the populations;
that is, ultimately, to the development of the human person. Again
here the commitment of the Catholic Church in the Congo is important:
in the fields of education, healthcare, and aid to the various
categories of people in need, including refugees from neighbouring
countries, your diocese contribute in a significant way. As pastors,
continue to ensure that your social ministry is increasingly carried
out in the spirit of the Gospel and perceived as a work of
evangelisation, and not as the action of a non-governmental
organisation”.

The Pope concludes by noting that in
certain sectors of society, the wounds caused by the grave crisis
that affected the Congo at the end of the 1990s have left deep scars
that have not yet fully healed. “In this respect, in particular,
the Church, strong in the Gospel of Jesus, has received the mission
of building new fraternity anchored in forgiveness and solidarity.
You, pastors, continue to be models and prophets in this sense!”.

Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) – This
morning the Pope received in audience the Lutheran archbishop of
Uppsala, Sweden, Antje Jackelen, who led a delegation to the Vatican
from the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. Francis greeted them cordially
and commented that last year was the fiftieth anniversary of the
Vatican Council II decree on ecumenism, “Unitatis Redintegratio”,
which continues to be the key point of reference for the ecumenical
efforts of the Catholic Church. “This document is an invitation to
all Catholics to undertake the path of unity to overcome division
between Christians, which is “not only openly opposed to the will
of Christ, but is also a scandal to the world and damages the holiest
of causes: the preaching of the Gospel to every creature”.

The decree “expresses a profound
respect and appreciation for those brothers and sisters separated
from us, to whom in daily coexistence we at times risk giving little
consideration. In reality, they are not perceived as adversaries or
as competitors, but instead acknowledged for what they are: brothers
and sisters in faith. Catholics and Lutherans must seek and promote
unity in dioceses, in parishes, in communities throughout the world”,
the Pope emphasised, mentioning the recent document “From conflict
to communion. The Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the
Reformation in 2017”, published by the Lutheran-Catholic Commission
for Unity. “We sincerely hope that this initiative may encourage,
with God's help and collaboration between Him and among us, the
achievement of further steps on the path of unity”.

The call to unity also implies “a
pressing exhortation to joint commitment at the charitable level, in
favour of all those who suffer in the world as a result of poverty
and violence, and have a special need for our mercy; the witness of
our persecuted brothers and sisters in particular drives us to grow
in fraternal communion. The question of the dignity of human life,
always to be respected, is of urgent relevance, as are issues
regarding the family, marriage and sexuality, that may not be set
aside or ignored for fear of jeopardising the ecumenical consensus
already received. It would be a pity if new confessional differences
were to be consolidated with regard to these important questions”.

Francis concluded his address by giving
thanks first to the Swedish Lutheran Church, “for the welcome given
to so many South American migrants in the times of the dictatorships,
a fraternal welcome that has enabled families to grow”, and
secondly, to Jackelen, “for the delicacy that you, dear sister,
have had in appointing my dear friend, the pastor Anders Root: I have
shared with him the chair in spiritual theology and he has helped me
greatly in spiritual life”.

Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) -
“'Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life
for his friends'. In the history of the Church, many men and women
have heeded the call of this great love. The Swiss Guards who fought
during the Sack of Rome and who gave their lives in defence of the
Pope responded to this call. And answering this call with devotion
means following Christ”, said the Holy Father as he received in
audience the new recruits to the Pontifical Swiss Guard who will take
their oath of loyalty tomorrow, 6 May.

“In the Spiritual Exercises, St.
Ignatius of Loyola, who in his youth was a soldier, spoke of the
'call of the Christ the King', who wishes to build His Kingdom and
choose his collaborators. The Lord wishes to build His Kingdom with
the collaboration of men. He needs decisive and courageous people. …
At the same time, Ignatius compares the world to two military camps,
one with the standard of Christ, the other under the flag of Satan.
There are only these two camps. For the Christian the choice is
clear: he follows Christ's standard”.

“Christ is the true King. He Himself
goes ahead and His friends follow Him. One of Christ's soldiers
participates in the life of His Lord. This is also the call that is
addressed to you: to take on the concerns of Christ, to be His
companions. In this way you learn, day by day, to 'feel' with Christ
and with the Church. A Swiss Guard is a person who truly seeks to
follow the Lord Jesus and who loves the Church in a special way; he
is a Christian with genuine faith”, emphasised the Pontiff. “You
too, like every Christian, must live all this through the Sacraments
of the Church: with diligent participation in Mass and frequent
Confession. You can live this by reading the Gospel every day. What I
say to all, I repeat to you: keep a pocket-sized Gospel close to
hand, so you can read it whenever you have a free moment. Your
personal prayer, especially the Rosary, will also help you, during
your guards of honour. And it will help you in your service to the
poor, the sick, to those in need of a good word”.

The Pope remarked that when the Swiss
Guards meet people and pilgrims they transmit to them, with their
“kindness and competence”, this “great love” that comes from
their friendship with Christ. Indeed”, he exclaimed, “you are a
banner for the Holy See! I thank you and encourage you in your work”.

“I know that your service is
demanding. When there is extra work to be done, we are always able to
count on the Swiss Guard. I thank you with affection and express my
great appreciation for all that you do for the Church and for me, as
the Successor of Peter”, he concluded.

Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) – This
morning, with the commemoration in the Senate, there began the events
with which all Italy will celebrate the birth of Dante Alighieri
(Florence 1265 – Ravenna 1321), the author of “The Divine
Comedy”. The Pope participated with a message to Cardinal
Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture,
also present at the ceremony presided over by the President of the
Republic Sergio Mattarella, and attended by the minister for Culture
Dario Franceschini and the actor Roberto Benigni, who read Canto
XXXIII of Paradise.

“With this message, I wish to join
the chorus of those who consider Dante Alighieri to be an artist of
the highest universal value, who still has much to say and to offer,
through his immortal works, to those who wish to follow the route of
true knowledge, of the authentic discovery of the self, of the world,
of the profound and transcendent meaning of existence”, writes the
Pope.

He notes that many of his predecessors
celebrated the anniversaries of Dante with documents of great
importance, in which the figure of Dante Alighieri is presented
precisely for his continuing relevance and his greatness, not only
artistic but also theological and cultural. He cites, among these,
Benedict XV who dedicated his encyclical “In praeclara summorum”
(1921) to Dante on the sixth centenary of his death, affirming and
highlighting “the intimate union of Dante with the See of Peter”.
Blessed Paul VI dedicated the Apostolic Letter “Altissimi cantus”,
at the closure of Vatican Council II, to Dante, affirming that “Dante
is ours! Ours, as in of Catholic faith”. St. John Paul II and
Benedict XVI also often referred to the works of the great poet and
mentioned him on numerous occasions. Pope Francis added that in his
first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei”, he drew upon the “immense
patrimony of images, symbols and values that constitute Dante's
work”.

On the eve of the extraordinary Jubilee
of Mercy, the Holy Father expresses his hope that during this year
the figure of Dante and his work will also accompany us on this
personal and community path. “Indeed”, he remarks, “the Comedy
may be read as a great itinerary, or rather as a true pilgrimage,
both personal and interior, and communal, ecclesial, social and
historical. It represents the paradigm of every authentic journey in
which humanity is called upon to leave what Dante defines as 'the
threshing-floor that makes us so ferocious' to attain a new
condition, marked by harmony, peace and happiness. And this is the
horizon of every true humanism”.

“Dante is, therefore, a prophet of
hope, herald of the possibility of redemption, of liberation, of the
profound transformation of every man and woman, of all humanity. He
continues to invite us to rediscover the lost or obscured meaning of
our human path and to hope to see again the shining horizon on which
there shines in all its fullness the dignity of the human person.
Honouring Dante Alighieri, as Paul VI has already invited us to do,
we are able to enrich ourselves with his experience in order to cross
the many dark forests still scattered on our earth and to happily
complete our pilgrimage in history, to reach the destination dreamed
of and wished for by every man: 'the love that moves the sun in
heaven and all the stars'”.

Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) –
Yesterday afternoon Pope Francis visited another parish in his
diocese – Santa Maria Regina Pacis at the Ostia Lido. Before
celebrating Mass, the bishop of Rome visited the community of the
Little Sisters of Jesus, of Charles de Foucauld, also known as the
“Luna Park Fraternity” since they live in caravans, and met with
the elderly, the sick, and young scouts from the parish, as well as
parents who have baptised their children this year.

The Pope greeted the elderly,
emphasising that they possess the wisdom of life, experience, pain
and patience, as well as the memory of the people and the family. He
remarked that the sick “resemble Jesus: they suffer like Jesus and
bear the cross like Jesus”, and praised the parish community for
lovingly caring for the sick and the elderly, since “when they are
not cared for by the community, that community does not function; it
lacks something”.

To the scouts, he commented that “in
the art of climbing, the important thing is not that you do not fall,
but rather that you do not stay on the ground”. He continued, “We
all fall, we all make mistakes, even sins, all of us. But what is
witness? It is getting up again with God's grace. … This is what
the world needs from you, the witness of going ever onwards; although
weak, we must go ahead”. He also encouraged the young to transmit
their faith with joy and, in difficult moments when joy is obscured,
to “overcome those moments with dignity, in the hope that the Holy
Spirit gives us strength … and consolation … until our joy
returns”.

Finally, he reminded the parents of
recently baptised children that baptism is not an isolated event, and
invited them to walk with their children along the new path of faith,
staying close to the parish community.

In the Pope's homily, in which he
commented on the Gospel reading of the vine and the branches, he
insisted on the importance of remaining united with Christ, which
also means “wanting to be forgiven by Him, but also to be 'pruned',
so as to bear more fruit”. He added, “abiding with Jesus means
doing the same as He did: doing good, helping others, praying to the
Father, healing the sick, helping the poor, having the joy of the
Holy Spirit”.

“There are also other branches, to
which Jesus does not refer here, but He does so elsewhere; those that
present themselves as Jesus' disciples, but do the opposite of what a
disciple does, and these branches are hypocrites. Perhaps they go to
Mass every Sunday, perhaps they show themselves to be saintly and
pious, but then they live as if they were pagans. And Jesus, in the
Gospel, calls them hypocrites. Jesus is good, he invites us to abide
in Him. He gives us strength, and so if we slide into sinfulness –
and we are all sinners – He forgives us, because He is merciful.
But He wants two things – that we abide in Him and that we are not
hypocrites. And this is how Christian lives go onwards”.

Vatican City, 3 May 2015 (VIS) – The
union of Jesus with those who follow Him, explained through the image
of the vine and the branches that Christ presents to the disciples at
the Last Supper, was the central theme considered by the Pope during
this Sunday's Regina Coeli.

“We can all be joined to Jesus in a
new way. If, on the contrary, one loses this union with Him, he
becomes sterile, indeed harmful to the community. And to express this
reality, Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches, and says:
'As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the
vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are
the branches'”. … Through Him – like the sap in a tree – the
love of God Himself, the Holy Spirit, passes to the branches; through
this parable Jesus enables us to understand the importance of
remaining united with Him. The branches are not self-sufficient, but
depend totally on the vine, the source of their life”.

“The same is true for us as
Christians. Grafted to Christ through Baptism, we have received from
Him the freely-given gift of new life; we can stay in vital communion
with Christ”. However, the Pontiff emphasised, “it is necessary
to stay faithful to Baptism, and to grow in friendship with the Lord
through prayer, the prayer of every day, through listening and
obedience to His Word – read the Gospel – and participation in
the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Sacrament of
Reconciliation”, as “if one is intimately joined to Jesus, he or
she receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which – as St. Paul
tells us – are 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control'. As a consequence, a
Christian brings great good to his neighbour and to society. Indeed,
from these characteristics, it is possible to recognise who is a true
Christian, just as we can recognise a tree from its fruits. The
fruits of this deep union with Jesus are wonderful. … We receive a
new way of being, the life of Christ becomes our own; we can think
like Him, act like Him, see the world and other things through Jesus'
eyes. As a consequence, we are able to love our brothers, beginning
with the poorest and the suffering … and thus bring into the world
the fruits of goodness, charity and peace. … Let us trust in the
intercession of Our Lady, so that we too may be living branches in
the Church and give coherent witness of our faith, consistency
between life and thought, life and faith – aware that we all,
according to our specific vocations, participate in the sole salvific
mission of Christ”.

Following the Regina Coeli the Pope
mentioned that yesterday in Turin the Italian Luigi Bordino was
proclaimed blessed. A consecrated layman of the Priestly Society of
St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, the new blessed “devoted his life
to the sick and those who suffer, and dedicated himself tirelessly to
the poorest, curing and cleansing their wounds”.

Vatican City, 2 May 2015 (VIS) –
Today the Pontifical North American College holds a day of reflection
dedicated to “Friar Junipero Serra, apostle of California, witness
of holiness”, with the aim of spreading knowledge of the life,
mission and witness of holiness of this blessed who will be canonised
in Washington on 23 September during the Holy Father's apostolic
journey to the United States. The day, organised by the Pontifical
Commission for Latin America and the Pontifical North American
College, with the sponsorship of the archdiocese of Los Angeles,
culminated with the celebration of a Holy Mass at the college at
midday, at which Pope Francis officiated.

In his homily, the Pope emphasised
three aspects of the life of the future saint: his missionary
impulse, his Marian devotion and his witness of holiness.

“First of all, he was a tireless
missionary”, the Pontiff affirmed. “What made Friar Junipero
leave his home and country, his family, university chair and
Franciscan community in Mallorca to go to the ends of the earth?
Certainly, it was the desire to proclaim the Gospel ad gentes, that
heartfelt impulse which seeks to share with those farthest away the
gift of encountering Christ: a gift that he had first received and
experienced in all its truth and beauty. Like Paul and Barnabas, like
the disciples in Antioch and in all of Judea. … These missionary
disciples who have encountered Jesus, the Son of God, who have come
to know him through his merciful Father, moved by the grace of the
Holy Spirit, went out to all the geographical, social and existential
peripheries, to bear witness to charity. They challenge us! Sometimes
we stop and thoughtfully examine their strengths and, above all,
their weaknesses and their shortcomings. But I wonder if today we are
able to respond with the same generosity and courage to the call of
God, who invites us to leave everything in order to worship him, to
follow him, to rediscover him in the face of the poor, to proclaim
him to those who have not known Christ and, therefore, have not
experienced the embrace of his mercy. Friar Junipero’s witness
calls upon us to get involved, personally, in the mission to the
whole continent, which finds its roots in Evangelii Gaudium”.

Secondly, “Friar Junipero entrusted
his missionary activity to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We know that
before leaving for California, he wanted to consecrate his life to
Our Lady of Guadalupe and to ask her for the grace to open the hearts
of the colonizers and indigenous peoples, for the mission he was
about to begin. … Since then, Our Lady of Guadalupe has become, in
fact, the Patroness of the whole American continent. You cannot
separate her from the hearts of the American people. She represents
our shared roots in this land. Indeed, today's mission to the
continent is entrusted to her, the first, holy missionary disciple, a
constant presence and companion, our source of comfort and hope. For
she always hears and protects her American children”.

Thirdly, the Pope invited those present
to contemplate the witness of holiness given by Friar Junipero, “one
of the founding fathers of the United States, a saintly example of
the Church’s universality and special patron of the Hispanic people
of the country. In this way may all Americans rediscover their own
dignity, and unite themselves ever more closely to Christ and his
Church”. He went on to cite the example of many American saints,
who have distinguished themselves through their various charisms:
contemplatives like Rose of Lima, Mariana of Quito and Teresita de
los Andes; pastors who bear the scent of Christ and of his sheep,
such as Toribio de Mogrovejo, Francois de Laval, and Rafael Guizar
Valencia; humble workers in the vineyard of the Lord, like Juan Diego
and Kateri Tekakwitha; servants of the suffering and the
marginalised, like Peter Claver, Martin de Porres, Damian of Molokai,
Alberto Hurtado and Rose Philippine Duchesne; founders of communities
consecrated to the service of God and of the poorest, like Frances
Cabrini, Elizabeth Ann Seton and Katharine Drexel; tireless
missionaries, such as Friar Francisco Solano, José de Anchieta,
Alonso de Barzana, Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa and Jose Gabriel
del Rosario Brochero; martyrs like Roque Gonzalez, Miguel Pro and
Oscar Arnulfo Romero, and so many other saints and martyrs, whom I do
not mention here, but who pray before the Lord for their brothers and
sisters who are still pilgrims in those lands. There ha been so much
holiness in America, so much holiness sown”.

“May a powerful gust of holiness
sweep through all the Americas during the coming Extraordinary
Jubilee of Mercy!” exclaimed the Holy Father. “Confident in
Jesus’ promise, which we heard today in the Gospel, we ask God for
this special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We ask the Risen Jesus,
Lord of all ages, that the life of our American continent may be
rooted ever more deeply in the Gospel it has received; that Christ
may be ever more present in the lives of individuals, families,
peoples and nations, for the greater glory of God. We pray too that
this glory may be manifested in the culture of life, brotherhood,
solidarity, peace and justice, with a preferential and concrete love
for the poor, through the witness of Christians of various
confessions and communities, together with believers of other
religious traditions, and people of upright conscience and good will.
Lord Jesus, we are merely your missionary disciples, your humble
co-workers so that your Kingdom may come!”

“With this heartfelt prayer”, he
concluded, “I ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, Friar Junipero and all the
American saints to lead me and guide me during my approaching
apostolic journeys to South America and North America. I ask all of
you to keep this intention in your prayers, and to continue to pray
for me”.

Vatican City, 2 May 2015 (VIS) – More
than seven thousand faithful of the diocese of Isernia-Venafro, which
the Pope visited in July last year, were received in audience in the
Vatican by the Holy Father this morning. Francis thanked them for the
warmth and joy with which they welcomed him, without neglecting to
mention the serious difficulties that continue to afflict the area,
which he spoke about during his visit.

The Pontiff mentioned first of all the
chronic unemployment that especially affects the youngest
generations, who increasingly leave the area for other countries, and
he also underlined that lack of adequate services to respond to the
effective needs of the population. “Faced with this worrying
scenario, a general mobilisation is necessary, to unite the strengths
of the population, the institutions, private entities and various
civil bodies”, he affirmed. “It is not possible to defer the
concrete steps that need to be taken to favour the creation of new
jobs, thus offering the young the possibility of realising their
potential through honest work”.

The diocese is celebrating, on the
other hand, a jubilee year dedicated to Pope Celestine V, originally
from the region, which offers the opportunity for a new missionary
impulse in order to go “beyond a static religious reality” and to
“return to Christ, to the Gospel; to be reconciled with God and
neighbour. And thus there is reborn the desire to bring His love to
all, especially those who are alone, marginalised, humiliated by
suffering and by social injustice; to the many who, tired of human
words, feel a profound nostalgia for God”. The jubilee year will
also provide a preparatory stage for the extraordinary Jubilee Year
of Mercy, and the parishes, where “ecclesial communion finds its
most immediate and visible expression”, is called upon to be the
“privileged place for listening to and announcing the Gospel; a
house of prayer around the Eucharist; a true school of communion,
where the ardour of charity prevails over the temptation to a
superficial and arid religiosity”.

“When difficulties seem to obscure
the prospects for a better future, when we experience failure and
emptiness around us, it is the moment of Christian hope, based in the
Risen Lord and accompanied by charitable strength towards those most
in need. This is how your diocesan path, already admirably orientated
to this way of charity, can involve more people and more social and
institutional bodies in assisting those who are homeless or jobless,
as well as those who are affected by forms of poverty both old and
new, not only in order to take care of their urgent needs but also to
build alongside them a more welcoming society, more respectful of
diversity, more just and fraternal. … Problems can be overcome with
solidarity. I encourage you, therefore, to be witnesses of solidarity
in your cities and towns, at work, at school, in your families, and
in the places where you meet”.

Finally, Francis commended all those
present to Our Lady and the saints of Molise and Abruzzo, so they
might be “supported by these powerful intercessors”, in order to
look “without fear and with hope to your future and that of your
land”.

Vatican City, 1 May 2015 (VIS) – The
Holy Father spoke at the inauguration of the Universal Exposition of
Milan (1 May – 31 October 2015), on the theme “Feeding the
planet, energy for life” via a video message transmitted life, in
which he emphasises the importance of the event for giving a voice to
the poor, globalising solidarity and defending the environment.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to
unite my voice to those of you gathered here for this inauguration.
It is the voice of the bishop of Rome, who speaks on behalf of the
pilgrim People of God throughout the whole world; it is the voice of
the many poor who form part of this people and with dignity seek to
earn bread through their labours. I would like to be the spokesman
for all these brothers and sisters of ours, Christians and also
non-Christians, whom God loves as His sons and for whom he gave his
life, breaking the brad that is the flesh of His Son made man. He
teaches us to ask God the Father: 'Give us this day our daily bread'.
EXPO is an opportune occasion to globalise solidarity”.

Recalling the importance of the theme
of the EXPO, Francis emphasises that an issue so important and so
essential cannot remain merely as a theme for the event, but must
instead be accompanied by “an awareness of the faces of the
millions of people who are hungry today, who will not eat today in a
way worthy of a human being. I would like every person who comes to
visit the EXPO of Milan, from today onwards, passing through those
wonderful pavilions, to be able to perceive the presence of those
faces. A hidden presence, but which ought in reality to be the true
protagonist of the event; the faces of the men and women who are
hungry, who become ill or even die as a result of inadequate or
harmful diet”.

The “paradox of abundance” an
expression used by St. John Paul II in his address to the FAO (Food
and Agriculture Organisation) during the first Conference on
Nutrition in 1992 “still persists, in spite of the efforts made and
some good results. Even EXPO, in some respects, forms part of this
paradox of abundance, if it conforms to the throwaway culture of
waste, and does not contribute to an equitable and sustainable model
of development. Therefore, let us ensure that EXPO provides the
opportunity for a change of mentality, so that we stop thinking that
our daily actions – at every level of responsibility – do not
have an impact on the life of those, near and far, who suffer from
hunger”.

The Pope comments also on the other
'faces' who play an important role in the Universal Exposition –
those of the many workers and researchers in the food and agriculture
sector. “May the Lord grant wisdom and courage to every one of
them, as their responsibility is great”, he says, expressing his
hope that all those who work in this field be “involved in a great
project for solidarity: that of feeding the planet with respect for
every man and woman who inhabit it, and with respect for the natural
environment”. It is, he adds, “the great challenge that God
presents to humanity in the twenty-first century: to finally stop
abusing the garden God has entrusted to us, so that all may eat its
fruits”.

“However, everything begins here:
from a perception of those faces”, he concludes, “especially the
most anonymous, the most hidden, that thanks to EXPO have earned
bread to take home. May no-one be deprived of this dignity! And may
no bread be the fruit of work unworthy of mankind! The Lord … is
the true 'energy for life': the love to share bread, 'our daily
bread', in peace and fraternity. And may no man or woman lack bread
and the dignity of work”.

Vatican City, 1 May 2015 (VIS) – The
participants in the third “Ultreya Europea” organised by the
Cursillos in Christianity were received in audience by Pope Francis
yesterday afternoon. Citing the theme of the encounter, “Ultreya”
(“ever onward”, the ancient greeting of the pilgrims of Santiago
de Compostela), he invited them always to continue and to go forward,
inspired by the missionary but not proselytising spirit of their
founders, the Spanish Eduardo Bonnin Aguilo and the then-bishop of
Mallorca, Juan Hervas y Benet. As the Pope remarked, they and other
young laypeople, perceived the need to reach out to their peers,
glimpsing the desire for truth and love present in their hearts.

“Those pioneers … went towards the
people, involving them with warmth and accompanying them on their
path of faith with respect and love. This is important: friendliness
and company. … I would like to say to your movement: you have not
engaged in proselytism! And this is a virtue. The Church grows not by
proselytism but by witness, as Pope Benedict said. And it is true. …
Today you too wish to announce the Good News of God's love, making
yourself close to others … so that they can have a personal
experience of Christ's infinite love that frees and transforms life”.

During the meeting, which had a
spontaneous nature, the Pope answered some questions from the
participants in the Ultreya, suggesting to them how to make their
charism fruitful, and beginnning by explaining that to help others
grow in faith, first of all it is necessary to experience first-hand
God's goodness and tenderness to then communicate it with benevolence
and mercy. “This is the amicable witness of dialogue between
friends.

“The method of evangelisation of the
Cursillos is born precisely of this ardent wish for friendship with
God, Who is the source of our friendship with our brothers”, he
continued. “From the beginning it was understood that only within a
relationship of authentic friendship was it possible to prepare and
accompany people on their path, a path that begins with conversion,
passes through the discovery of the beauty of a life lived in the
grace of God, finally reaching the joy of becoming apostles in daily
life. And in this way, since then, thousands of people throughout the
world have been helped to grow in the life of faith. In today's
context of anonymity and isolation typical of our cities, the
dimension of family welcome, on a human scale, that you offer in your
group meetings is of great importance”.

It is also important that these small
group meetings are accompanied by “moments that favour openness to
a larger social and ecclesial dimension, also involving those who
come into contact with your charism but do not habitually participate
in the group. … Effectively, the Church is an 'open-hearted mother'
who invites us at times to 'slow down' and 'stop rushing to remain
with someone who has faltered along the way'”.

Francis concluded by renewing his
invitation to “go ever onwards”, faithful to their charism, and
to “keep alive the zeal and the flame of the Spirit that always
drives Christ's disciples to reach those who are distant, without
proselytism, to leave their comfort zone and to have the courage to
reach out to those peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel. …
Every charism is called upon to grown as it carries the Holy Spirit
inside, and the Holy Spirit makes it grow. Every charism must take
account of different cultures, with different ways of thinking and
different values … letting itself be guided by the Spirit”.

Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) –
According to a note released today by the Office of Liturgical
Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, the following cardinals will
take possession of their titles or diaconates in the coming days:

Cardinal Luis Hector Villalba,
archbishop emeritus of Tucuman, Argentina, will take possession of
the title of San Girolamo a Corviale in Via dei Buonvisi 3, Rome, at
6 p.m. on Saturday 9 May.

Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado, bishop
of Santiago de Cabo Verde, will take possession of the title of San
Timoteo in Via Apelle 1, Rome, at 10 a.m. on Sunday 10 May.

Cardinal Julio Duarte Langa, bishop
emeritus of Xai-Xai, Mozambique, will take possession of the title of
San Gabriele dell'Addolorata in Via Ponzio Cominio 93-95, Rome, at 11
a.m. on Sunday 10 May.

Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of
the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, will take possession
of the diaconate of Santo Spirito in Sassia, in Via dei Penitenzieri
12, Rome, at 6 p.m. on Sunday 10 May.

On Saturday, 2 May the Holy Father
appointed Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, archbishop emeritus of Prague, Czech
Republic, as his special envoy to the celebrations for the 600th
anniversary of the death of Jan Hus, to take place in the city of
Prague on 5 and 6 July 2015.